Back to Basics: Lipstick vs Lip gloss

Jan 20, 2012 by Clueless Fashionista

My mom was a consistent lipstick wearer when I was growing up. In fact, that was really the only makeup she wore. She would often put on dark red or burgundy lipstick and go. It looked cool on her but when I tried lipstick myself, I didn’t like it. It felt too thick for me and heavy on my lips. Plus the color was often jarring. Now this could be because my mom is a few shades darker than me and I was often trying her lipstick but it always looked too dark/bright.

Eventually, I stumbled across lip gloss and fell in love. I enjoyed the shine and the flavors. I liked how it made my lips look without all of the extra color. I’ve been wearing lip gloss ever since. Whenever I go shopping for lip gloss, it’s an adventure. I enjoy browsing the different glosses and colors and figuring out which will work best on me. Now, I have friends who feel the same way about lipstick. In fact, one of my good friends can’t wear lip gloss because they often dry her lips out so she wears lipstick instead. I recently realized that the world is made up of two groups; lip gloss wearers and lipstick wearers. Many women choose a side as young girls and stick with it as they grow up. But for those of you who didn’t experiment early on, here are a few pros for both.

Lipstick

1. Deep, pigmented color
2. Often acts as a moisturizer
3. Dark colors can be used as a teeth whitener
4. Great as a pop of color

Lip gloss

1. Great shine
2. Can be worn alone to add polish to a bare face
3. Cool flavors
4. Light color for those intimidated by a lot of color on the face

Now those are just a few positives on the side of both lipstick and lip gloss. You can also combine the two for double benefit. If you have a bright or deep colored lipstick, a shimmery gloss can tame the color and add some shine. This is for you daring ladies who don’t mind really experimenting with your makeup (which I encourage wholeheartedly). And now I want to hear from you. Do you prefer lipstick or lip gloss and why?

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How to properly apply lip liner

Jan 13, 2012 by Clueless Fashionista

While I’m not a personal fan of actual lipstick (I’m such a lip gloss girl), I do appreciate a well done lip. I will sometimes put on colored lip gloss and I often feel like my lips would look more polished if I had a liner. I don’t really own one, but I do plan to add them to my makeup wardrobe this year.

With this in mind, I wanted to find a good video that shows the best way to apply lip liner so you don’t look like a clown. I found this really cool one from Expert Village. I plan on trying this technique myself. The lady in the video explains and shows how to apply the liner in a very easy to understand way to ensure that the liner truly does its job.

Let me know how this works for you and if you have any other liner tips for us newbies.

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Mascara basics

Nov 11, 2011 by Clueless Fashionista

Eye makeup can really spruce up your makeup with very little effort and time. I always notice a difference when I swipe on some mascara and even more difference when I put on eye liner.

However, I realize that there are some of you ladies that don’t really know the best way to apply mascara to get the most out of it. Well, I found a really easy to understand video by Jose Maran that shows you how to apply mascara and really make your lashes pop. The video is less than 3 minutes long so this means you can apply mascara in less than five minutes!

Check it out then go out and pick up some for yourself. If you’re feeling adventurous, look for cool colors. Check out my review on L’oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator. It is a mascara that has a sparkly brush that can give your eyes added color. I love using it to give my lashes some jewelry, so to speak.

Enjoy!

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Product Review: Burt’s Bees Sensitive Skin Care Products

Nov 3, 2011 by Clueless Fashionista

Since I am a BzzAgent, I often have the opportunity to review really cool products. When I saw an opportunity to try out Burt’s Bees Sensitive Skin Care Products, I jumped at the chance to give them a try. I have dry, sensitive skin so I am always looking for good quality skin care products that work, especially for my face. When I received the box in the mail, I opened it right away so I could give the products a good, fair try. I received the Daily Moisturizing Cream and Facial Cleanser.

I admit, I was a little unsure about the facial cleanser. It’s a non-foaming cream cleanser and I stopped using those years ago when I graduated from Noxema to Clean and Clear foaming cleanser. However, I decided to give it a try and see how it worked. I really liked it. It rinsed really clean and did not leave my face feeling dry. I’ve been using it for the past couple of weeks and it has done a great job of cleaning my face and keeping it moist, which is important as the weather has gotten cooler.

As a part of my process, I also incorporated the daily moisturizing cream into my regular use. I really, really like the cream. It is thick and rich and makes my face feel really soft. One of my biggest complaints about products made specifically for sensitive skin is that they aren’t often rich enough to fully moisturize my face. So not only do these products clean and my moisturize my face, neither of them have caused any adverse reactions. It usually takes about a week or two before my face starts to itch, peel or break out after using a product that’s too strong and so far nothing but cleanliness and moisture from these two!

I do have two small complaints. I wish that the cleanser either foamed or exfoliated. I’ve been using daily exfoliating cleanser for a couple of years and I really enjoy how it scrubs my face while cleaning it. I’ve gotten kind of used to my face cleanser exfoliating so it was a change for me to go back to cream cleanser. I did some research and noticed that Burt’s Bees does have a couple of exfoliating cleansers so I will be seeking those out in the very near future.

I also wish that the daily moisturizer had SPF in it. Since I am sensitive to the sun, I always look for moisturizers that have SPF in them to give my skin daily sun protection. I did some more checking and saw that Burt’s Bees has a daily moisturizer with SPF 15 in it so I will be picking that up as well. I definitely suggest this product for my sensitive ladies (and fellas) and even for the non sensitive ladies. The lotion is so thick and rich, it would be a great winter skin moisturizer.  The moisturizer retails for $15 and the cleanser for $10 so they’re not extremely expensive. Plus, you don’t need to use a lot. A little goes a long way with these products.

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Smokey Eye Tutorial from Faced Forward

Oct 7, 2011 by Clueless Fashionista

As Halloween approaches, I wanted to share some good videos with you giving tips on how to vamp up your makeup. I know when I choose my Halloween costume, I tend to want to do a bit more with my makeup than I normally do. I already posted a smokey eye video here Smoke Those Eyes. It’s very basic and easy to understand. In fact, I’ve used it to create a subtle smokey eye for myself a few times.

Well I found another smokey eye video for a much more dramatic eye. If you want to go for the drama this holiday season, this is a good video to use. Juliana is very clear in her instructions and the products she uses so I suggest you doing some trial runs in advance. She also instructs you to put eyeliner and shadow on your lower lid. If you want to go that route, I suggest you test it out before the day of your event. I learned the hard way that liner on my lower lid causes my eyes to itch. I think that area is more sensitive than your upper lid so test first.

Otherwise, enjoy these videos and I’d love to see your smokey eye pictures.

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Summer Makeup Tips

Jul 21, 2011 by Clueless Fashionista

Here is a short video that gives some really good tips on how to keep your makeup on in the summer. Since a huge heat wave has enveloped most of the US, I thought it would be good to share some tips on how to stop your face from melting when you step outside.

I do agree that primer and translucent powder are great ways to manage your look and keep your makeup on. E.L.F. has great powders and a primer for under $10 so you don’t have to spend a lot. Just visit their website www.eyeslipsface.com or check your local Target.

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